Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality higher education in the university sphere

Abstract

Peer review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript underwent an evaluation to compare the level of originality with other published works and was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review before publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the editor(s) or author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher, editor(s) and author(s). The publisher shared feedback on the similarity report and the reviewers' inputs with the manuscript's editor(s) or author(s) to improve the manuscript. Where the reviewers recommended revision and improvements the editor(s) or author(s) responded adequately to such recommendations. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the book be published. v Research justificationThe main objective of this manuscript is to place higher education at the core of the necessary transformation towards sustainable practices and policies, especially in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) member states. As indicated in the lead chapter, the exploration of sustainable development (SD) at the higher education level in BRICS has been neglected. In fact, there is a scarcity of research studies exploring education for sustainable development (ESD) within the higher education sector, especially through the comparative method. Considering the potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) to shape sustainability-orientated citizens capable of making decisions and taking action to address global challenges, we believe that the examination of higher education for sustainable development (HESD) is a matter of urgency.The ten chapters of this manuscript contain original research and provide rich information on HESD in the BRICS countries. Some of the chapters are comparative in nature, zooming on specific BRICS countries, while others delve deeper into one specific member state, showcasing findings and interpretations that can be informative to and applied by other contexts. The collective chapters of this manuscript followed an interpretive paradigm focusing on understanding the world around us, in this case the sector of higher education in BRICS. Relevant methodologies and data collection methods are described in each individual chapter. The chapters are not driven by a specific theory; however, they are informed by the notion of 'becoming'. In alignment with that notion, the authors of the chapters acknowledge the constant changes, often caused by humans, to human life and the planet that require action to transform higher education for the benefit of sustainable societies. The manuscript is meant to stimulate further dialogue between scholars about higher education for sustainable development in BRICS.The target audience consists of academia and specialists in the educational sciences. The book constitutes original research that has not been published elsewhere and is not p...